Soul Calibur V

Is anyone a Soul Calibur fan here? Better yet, is anyone a fighter junkie? If so, you're in for a real treat. Namco is releasing their next weapons-based fighter for the franchise on January 31, 2012. It'll be on both XBOX 360 and PS3.


If you've been keeping up with the franchise, SCV will continue 17 years after the last SCIV. There will be some returning favorites such as Nightmare, Ivy, and Mitsurugi, while introducing a lot of new characters. Keep in mind that since the story takes 17 years later, most of the returning characters will look different with the exception of a select few.

Returning characters:

• Siegfried Schtauffen, a zweihänder-user. He once wielded Soul Calibur against Nightmare in an attempt to atone for his sins when he was the host of Soul Edge. As he did in Soul Edge, he is leading a band of mercenaries named "Schwarzwind". He is the deuteragonist of SoulCalibur V.

• Isabella "Ivy" Valentine, a whipsword-wielding alchemist and cursed offspring of the evil sword itself. Has not aged since her previous appearance.

• Hildegard "Hilde" von Krone, the former princess of the kingdom of Wolfkrone who made her debut in Soulcalibur IV. Now travels with Siegfried's band of mercenaries, Schwarzwind, due to her kingdom falling. Has also become a mother in between Soulcalibur IV and V. Wields a short sword and a spear.

• Maxi, a sea-faring pirate who uses nunchaku. His entire crew was slaughtered by Astaroth and he has sought vengeance ever since that day.

• Heishirō Mitsurugi, a seasoned samurai forever seeking greater challenges who wields a katana. He is a veteran who has been with the series since the first installment. In Soulcalibur V, he is apparently following rumors of a young man who may be his last living brother.

• Nightmare, the series antagonist. Was at one time the moniker Siegfried used when under the influence of the Soul Edge. Now resides as the disembodied spirit of the sword, bound to the Azure Knight armor. Wields the Soul Edge, which is transformed into a great sword.

• Tira, loyal servant to Soul Edge who wields a ring blade. Her mind is divided in half by the effect of Soul Edge.

• Voldo, a blind, mute man who serves the merchant Vercci by protecting his beloved Money Pit. Wields matching tri-bladed katars and has been with the series since the first installment. He has been malfested by the evil energy of the demonic sword, Soul Edge.

• Astaroth, is the "younger brother" of the original Astaroth a living golem that wields a great axe, created by those who would serve the Greek god Ares. The Astaroth appearing in SoulCalibur V is a new creature, said to be more ferocious than his predecessor.

• Raphael Sorel, a French nobleman who uses a rapier. Seeks to create a "perfect world" for his daughter, Amy, whom he has taken under his care. Was cursed by Soul Edge into becoming a vampire-like being that can drain others of their essence.

• Geo "Le Bello" Dampierre, a con artist who wields two spring mounted daggers strapped to the underside of his wrists. He will be making a return to the series beyond his introduction in Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny. Exclusive for players who pre-order or buy the game.

New Characters:

• Patroklos Alexandra, Sophitia's son who uses a short sword and a shield like his mother. Unlike his sister, he knows that he has an older sister and is apparently searching for her and his mother. He is the main protagonist of SoulCalibur V

• Pyrrha Alexandra, Patroklos' sister and Sophitia's daughter who uses her mother's sword and shield which were made by her father, Rothion. Pyrrha was kidnapped by Tira when she was only Three years old in order to torment Sophitia, she is the deuteragonist of SoulCalibur V. However, unlike her brother, who knows about her, Pyrrha has lived her life as a wanderer since she knows nothing about her family and she has no one she can truly call "family".

• Yan Leixia, a fifteen year old girl wielding a Chinese sword. She is the daughter of the former Soul Calibur wielder, Xianghua.

• Natsu, female ninja disciple of Taki wielding two tantō like her master. She is the container for a demon called "Arahabaki".

• Z.W.E.I., a man wielding a sword with three handles. He summons a werewolf-like creature called "E.I.N." to aid him in battle. He is one of the secondary antagonists in Soul Calibur V

• Viola, a woman who serves Z.W.E.I. and does not remember her origins or what happened during her past life. She is one of the secondary antagonists in Soulcalibur V. She wields a steel claw and a magic crystal ball that floats around her during battles. Her appearance resembles a fortune teller.

Without spoiling too much (if you're new the Soul franchise), Soul Calibur V's story will center itself on Sophitia's children; Pyrrha and Patroklos and their struggles with the two swords; Soul Edge and Soulcalibur. Their burden in SCV originates with their mother who was exposed to the shards of Soul Edge, before giving birth to her first child in the original Soul Calibur for the Dreamcast. Other characters who will have direct involvement with the two swords include Nightmare, Seigfried, Z.W.E.I., and Tira. The story is not fully revealed and there is more in store as more news and characters are revealed.

Pyrrha

Patroklos

As a Soul Calibur franchise standard, there will be guest characters. One has already been revealed. Ezio from the Assassin's Creed games will be included in the roster for both XBOX 360 and PS3 versions of the game. No word on who else will be guest starring, if any. Check out Ezio's introduction:


If you're a seasoned Soul Calibur gamer, then the controller mechanics should be familiar to you. Most of the core gameplay returns with some minor tweaks and rebalancing of certain characters. The game also promises better online features, improved fighting system, an advanced character creation mode, deeper story mode, and of course, improved visuals. For more on Soul Calibur V, check out the video below:

ah soul calibur... what is soul calibur? seriously what is it? yes i have played SC2 on GC because well it had LINK! and it was fun smashing all the weird characters with link like voldo, nightmare, and boobtastic ivy but i never got into it. several years later when i got the xbox and 4 i was like well lets try this again. and again it was fun for a while smashing the same weird characters will yoda and vader but i never really got into it. i might rent this one but i do have to say that with ezio in it (one of my top favorite video game characters) it has sparked an interest

PS where is Cervantes? he was my 2nd favorite to play as

Doppelgänger24 wrote:

ah soul calibur... what is soul calibur? seriously what is it? yes i have played SC2 on GC because well it had LINK! and it was fun smashing all the weird characters with link like voldo, nightmare, and boobtastic ivy but i never got into it. several years later when i got the xbox and 4 i was like well lets try this again. and again it was fun for a while smashing the same weird characters will yoda and vader but i never really got into it. i might rent this one but i do have to say that with ezio in it (one of my top favorite video game characters) it has sparked an interest

PS where is Cervantes? he was my 2nd favorite to play as

I'm surprised to hear you say that. I honesty thought you had some interest and/or understanding of the story and its characters after playing 2 and 4. I should point out that guest characters shouldn't really be the main reason to get into the franchise. Although, I have to admit, Soulcalibur 2 was my first game in the franchise due to Link being a Gamecube exclusive. Still, it's a gamble to take and Link was very rarely used on my part. I still enjoyed having him there though.

After playing around with SC2, I started to delve deep into the game's story and characters. I loved it. I have to say that Soul Calibur is my favorite fighting series of all time, the second being Street Fighter. I like how the story actually makes sense whereas in other fighters, like Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat, and Tekken, most of it doesn't add up at all. Bland story telling and the overused "Fight in the tournament to save the world" plot keep them from being number one in my list. As much as I enjoy Street Fighter, I like my games to have a rich story or background. I want to know why my fighters are fighting, why are the events taking place so important. Soul Calibur has that and so much more whereas, as in my opinion, other fighters don't. Then again, I love swords, and games like these peak my interest.

Anyway, I just wanted to point out way this game deserves attention. I hope I didn't sounds like I was shoving my thoughts on you but I do hope you give the story a third chance. From what it looks like, SC5 will have a darker story and improved gameplay. There are a lot of great characters out there.

Oh, and Soulcalibur is the "Holy Sword" of the game. It has many forms, but the main features of the sword is the icy-blue color and a glowing blue gem. It's evil counterpart is Soul Edge.

Blitzsword wrote:

Anyway, I just wanted to point out way this game deserves attention. I hope I didn't sounds like I was shoving my thoughts on you but I do hope you give the story a third chance. From what it looks like, SC5 will have a darker story and improved gameplay. There are a lot of great characters out there.

Oh, and Soulcalibur is the "Holy Sword" of the game. It has many forms, but the main features of the sword is the icy-blue color and a glowing blue gem. It's evil counterpart is Soul Edge.

i understand the basic story of it like what it is the swords from what i understand were once Cervantes' sword... right? and every one is fighting to get the swords. ivy is cervantes daughter. and i understand the new characters. i just never delved deep into the story. i know all the old characters and most if not all of there moves. its not like i have not payed attention its just..... (at a loss of words) it really does look like fun (you might hate me for saying this) just like shooters im getting tired of fighting games now but then again i did get my PS3 for fighting games. (dont hate me ) lol

Well, that's sad to hear that fighting games are starting to lose its luster with you. Then again, it's your taste and I respect that. It sucks that I won't have a fighting partner anymore

It seems you do have a basic understanding of the story involved. So you're not completely a lost cause

Hopefully more people become interested in this game when its released. I could use some competition